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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1545619
The Foundation of Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment Lies in the Stability of Bacterial Populations Comprising Over 10% of the Gut Microbiota
Provisionally accepted- Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
Introduction: Chinese Herbal Medicines (CHMs) can impact the gut microbiota and are crucial for treatment. Studying the effects of various herbs on the gut microbiota can offer valuable insights. We investigates how cold and hot CHMs affect the microbiome and epithelial tissue structure in mice with induced intestinal dysbiosis.Methods: After inducing intestinal dysbiosis in mice with ceftriaxone sodium, they were treated with eight CHMs of varying properties for 20 days. Food intake, body weight, blood glucose levels, and gut microbiota structure were monitored.: After CHM treatment, mice with intestinal dysbiosis experienced further disruption in their gut microbiota. Recovery occurred between days 10 and 15, with cold CHMs showing better effects. By day 20, all groups had recovered, with no significant advantage over natural recovery. CHM treatment stabilized bacterial genera constituting over 10% of the gut microbiota. Cluster analysis revealed unique bacterial genera for cold and hot CHMs. Cold CHMs were linked to probiotic strains like Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium, known for anti-inflammatory properties, while hot CHMs were associated with bacteria like Clostridia and Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, known for cholesterol-lowering effects. CHMs caused morphological changes in the intestinal tissue, more significantly in the hot CHMs groups. Both cold and hot CHMs did not significantly impact basic physiological indicators and blood glucose levels. However, hot CHMs better regulated blood lipids in mice with dysbiosis. Discussion: Administration of CHM leads to stabilization of bacterial genera comprising over 10% of the gut microbiota, promoting physiological balance. Probiotics like Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium are crucial in cold CHMs, while Clostridia and Eubacterium coprostanoligenes are common in hot CHMs. CHMs also affect the morphology of the intestinal epithelium, with a more pronounced impact seen in hot CHMs.
Keywords: Gut microbiota disturbance, Ceftriaxone Sodium, characteristic flora, Chinese herbal medicines, cold, hot, Interaction
Received: 15 Dec 2024; Accepted: 13 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Shao, Liu, Zhang, Liu, Xiao and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chenyi Shao, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
Zhihao Liu, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
Xiaoyu Zhang, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
Jing Xiao, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
Li Tang, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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